


when he smiles

by silentbutdeadly



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, but only a little bit of hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 04:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7344367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silentbutdeadly/pseuds/silentbutdeadly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little boy crying at the sight of him smiling was not how Kageyama had planned to start his day. Yet, here they were - the child, looking terrified and crying his eyes out; his mother, simultaneously hushing and rushing the boy away; Kageyama, confused but slightly scared himself (and a little hurt, if he were to truly admit it).</p>
            </blockquote>





	when he smiles

A little boy crying at the sight of him smiling was not how Kageyama had planned to start his day. Yet, here they were - the child, looking terrified and crying his eyes out; his mother, simultaneously hushing and rushing the boy away; Kageyama, confused but slightly scared himself (and a little hurt, if he were to truly admit it).

 

***

  
The child’s cries could still be heard even when he’d walked a considerable distance away - hell, he was almost at school. Was his smile really bad enough to make a kid cry in fear? Was it still really that terrifying? He’d thought that he’d improved, especially after joining the team. He’d thought that he’d changed.

(If he hadn’t, it probably wouldn’t be too difficult to go back - even though there was nothing left to go back to.)

A loud cry of “KA-GE-YAAA-MAAAAAAA” breaks through his thoughts, coming from none other than Hinata, the human sun himself. He bounds right next to Kageyama, his gigawatt smile directed towards him at point blank range. Any other day, he would’ve granted Hinata a “good morning,” maybe would’ve raced him towards the gate, but today everything about him just rubs Kageyama the wrong way. He knows that it’s not Hinata’s fault that his personality’s not that great (along with his social skills), but he just can’t help but feel a twinge of resentment towards the other boy.

Noya-senpai’s voice suddenly comes to mind. If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, he had told him - so Kageyama keeps silent.

“Kageyama,” Hinata calls him again, “Kageyama, let’s race to the school - winner buys the other lunch!”

He glances down at Hinata, the beginnings of a scowl materializing on his face. “I don’t want to,” he grumbles, avoiding looking the other boy in the eye.

“Ehhh,” Hinata whines, “then the walk to school’s gonna be boring, then. C’mon, race me, unless you’re too slow, idiot.”

“I already said I didn’t want to,” Kageyama repeats. His head feels like it’s being slowly squeezed by a clamp - his stomach twists.

Hinata jumps in front of his path, walking backwards but also preventing Kageyama from avoiding him. (Kageyama tries; he looks up, above his head, but Hinata’s too bouncy.)

"If you don’t wanna—” bounce “race me to the—” bounce “school then I bet you’re—” BOUNCE “scared.”

Scared.

Something inside of Kageyama snaps, and he bolts. He sprints like his life depends on it, he sprints like he’s possessed, he sprints like he’s being chased. He leaves Hinata and his cries of unfairness far behind him - the only thing on his mind is to get away, as far away as possible. It is only on reflex he brakes and turns toward the school - he races through the gate and the courtyard and up the stairs to the volleyball club room, only to find the door still locked.

He collapses against the wall, tired, sweaty and panting heavily from his run. He doesn’t want to face Hinata just yet - he needs time to actually pull his shit together. However, it seems like Lady Luck isn’t quite on his side today, as he hears light taps of feet slowly ascend the rickety staircase.

He curls himself into a ball as a shock of orange hair appears. Maybe for once, Hinata would take a hint and not bother him.

He feels the footsteps step closer until they stop at his side. He doesn’t lift his head - he stares at the ground, listens for the sound of the footsteps starting again and going somewhere away from him. Instead, all he hears is the soft rustle of fabric, a hard thump that vibrates through his body, and a softer thump that makes him realize that Hinata’s sitting on the floor next to him.

He feels Hinata poke his arm, his leg, his head. He doesn’t reply.

Hinata sighs. “Kageyama, you’re really grumpy today,” he says softly.

“Mm.”

“More so than usual.”

“Mm.”

“How come?”

Kageyama grunts softly.

“Why are you grumpy?” Hinata wheedles, pressing his arm lightly. Even through his sports jacket, Kageyama can feel the warmth of his hand. “Kageyama-kun. Kageyama. Kageyama…come on, come on, tell me. Tell me…Tobio.”

Kageyama starts, raising his head so fast that it startles Hinata too. A faint blush dusts both their cheeks - Hinata had never called him by his first name before.

The two spend a good minute staring at each other before Kageyama breaks away again. He was still embarrassed, but it felt like all of the tension and unpleasantness that had been building up inside him since earlier that morning had melted away.

Kageyama sighs before giving in and explaining. “A little kid saw me smiling earlier… and ran away crying,” he mumbles, frowning at his feet. It sounded stupider than he thought it would be, especially out loud. He looks up, expecting Hinata to be laughing at him - but the other boy is staring right at him. His face is pinched, as if he was working his way through a particularly difficult math equation.

“Are you sure the kid was crying because of you?” Hinata asks suddenly.

“Yeah.”

“Are you sure?” he asks again.

“What?”

“Are you sure,” Hinata repeats slowly, “that the kid was crying because of you?”

Kageyama sits in stunned silence.

“See, you’re not, aren’t you?” Hinata grins cheekily. “You’re not sure if the kid—“

Kageyama shakes his head. “No, I’m sure I made the kid cry. I smiled, the kid started sobbing. Simple as that.”

“But you don’t know that,” Hinata argues. “Tsukishima was saying something in class yesterday - something about how just because one thing happens after another doesn’t mean that the first thing caused it. So, Kageyama, just because the kid cried after you smiled doesn’t mean that you made him cry. Get it?”

The fact that Hinata was able to pay attention in class, let alone remember something from it, almost stuns Kageyama more than the actual explanation. He tells Hinata so, earning a shove from him (which he obviously returns, twice as hard).

“Well,” Hinata says, brushing the dirt off his jacket, “since you’ve finally talked to me in full sentences, I’m guessing you’re not grumpy anymore. Or are you, still?”

Kageyama sighs, running his hand through his bangs. “I guess I feel a little better,” he admits. “…Thanks,” he mumbles.

“UWOOOHHHHHHHHH,” Hinata yells, startling him enough to make him jump about a foot in the air. “KAGEYAMA THANKED MEEEEE!!!” He laughs and jumps runs around the balcony as Kageyama blushes like a tomato and chases him frantically.

“Got you!” Kageyama exclaims triumphantly as he snatches Hinata from behind, lifting him up into the air and spinning him around.

“Kageyama, you bastard, you better not make me dizzy!” Hinata shouts indignantly - or at least he tries. He’s too busy trying not to laugh.

Kageyama laughs. “Not gonna be my fault!” he says as he sets Hinata down on the ground anyways.

Hinata turns around and instantly freezes, the look on his face caught between shock and something else. His face flushes a deep red Kageyama is confused - until he realizes that he’s smiling.

His scowl materializes again as he turns away from Hinata. “Knew it,” he mutters, “my smile’s terrible after all.” He should’ve never believed Hinata in the first place. He wasn’t even there, what would he know?

That seems to snap Hinata out of his reverie. He places himself in front of Kageyama, who is resolutely looking at the space above his head. He gulps nervously, his face tinged pink.

“Kageyama, look,” Hinata says hesitantly, “the thing is-the thing with your smile-“

Kageyama shoots him a dirty look. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“No, you don’t,” Hinata says in a strangled voice, his face reddening, “The thing with your smile…is that…it’s…really…cute…”

“What.”

“It’s…cute…”

“What??”

“…cute…”

“What?” Kageyama leans down, his face parallel with Hinata’s, their noses nearly touching. “Speak up, idiot, I can’t hear you.

Hinata inhales as if he’s going underwater. “YOUR SMILE. IS. REALLY. CUTE!” he yells at the top of his lungs. His voice cracks, and he’s hoarse and breathless.

He’s not the only one.

**Author's Note:**

> for my girl [ninu](http://sakamotoz.tumblr.com)


End file.
